Moschino I Love Love EDT is a citrusy-floral with a nice clean cedar dry-down. It reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue EDT, so I think it has a refreshing Mediterranean charm. It’s a very “young” fragrance if you go by packaging alone, but don’t. I think this is a universal fragrance for many age groups. It’s a woodsy-citrus floral that is perfect for “everyday” wear.

The top notes are very citrusy. They aren’t zesty like a fresh lemon, orange, grapefruit. They are very “pretty” and feminine. I think of citrus notes as being very unisex but the citrus used in this Moschino are not. They are very feminine. They are like a clean musk citrus blend. You get tangy orange and grapefruit but it really adheres to the skin and binds with it. It then becomes tangy and juicy with red fruits like red currant. This creates a red currant citrus hybrid fruit. Even though there is a bit of red fruit, it still is a citrus fragrance. It does get more floral after some wear. I think it gets not really floral, but “prettier”. It just starts to smell girlier. It gets a bit “cooler” from lily-of-the-valley. It starts to feel like there is a warm, humid breeze on a hot, dry day. The florals, even though they are impossible to tear away from the fragrance, create a beautiful freshness with the juicy citrus. I love the dry-down. It has a dried, warm drift wood smell. It smells of washed out and dried white cedar and skin-like musks. The dry-down is like sunbathing near the Mediterranean. It is just warm and relaxing. It wears longer than other EDTs that I’ve worn. I say about 5 hours of wear. However, if this gets on clothing, I can smell it on the clothes for like a week while they were in the dirty laundry. Cedar is a note with staying power. Plus, I think this fragrance wears nicely on skin. It just sticks from the beginning because it has woods and clean musks. I find this a nice comforting scent that is good for anytime wear. It isn’t the most original, like I said, it does remind me of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, but it is a nice scent if you are looking for a citrus-floral that is grounded by wood.

The bottle is quirky and fun. The shape is inspired bu Olive Oyl and it is covered with graffiti. Granted it isn’t an expensive looking bottle and the top is plastic, but it is fun. It’s very Moschino.

It’s a shame but I believe this fragrance has been discontinued (it was launched in 2005). I still see it around sometimes at places like Target or Walgreens. It is usually available for an amazing price (look on-line for coupons too) on sites like fragrancenet.com. If this is a fragrance that you usually wear, pick up a few bottles while you can.

Dolce & Gabbana “Classic” EDT, the one in the red, is one of my favorite department store fragrances. I am not the kind of person that can go to Macy’s and find many fragrances that I like. However, this is one that many department stores carry and I love. It is warming, intoxicating, and it smells very “expensive”. This oriental fragrance wears very resiny and soft on me. It has a blast of citrus and refined flowers, but it smells woodsy and powdery. In my mind, it is what a fancy Italian women’s perfume should smell like.

At first I can pick up on the citrus but it is a perfumey citrus oil. I get rich neroli/orange blossom mixed with “classic” florals such as carnation and jasmine. The first few minutes are very neroli heavy. I know this fragrance hasn’t been around as long as other fragrances, but it really has a classic Italian perfume vibe. This is like a “going out on the town” fragrance, a seduction fragrance. It is very Anita Ekberg to me and makes me think of her in dream woman status in La Dolce Vita. The citrusy florals mix in to a powdery perfume blend. There is that spice from carnation mixed citrus blossoms. It becomes resiny, feminine, powdery, and sexy. It manages to be all of this while still smelling clean and fresh. I guess I have an old-school image of the “clean” fragrance, less aquatic and soapy and much more powdery. The dry-down is a pretty blend of carnation, powdery amber, and soft vanilla. This is a fragrance that I like to wear in the fall because I like its warmth but I also like how it has a certain crispness thanks to the citrus and clove-like carnation. Somehow I can manage to wear this one in late summer, a little bit goes a long way.

Notes listed include tangerine, orange flower, red carnation, and vanilla. For an EDT, this fragrance wears for many hours on me, longer than many things labeled “EDP”.

Here in Washington we know apples. We know which orchard has the best “genetics” and sometimes I wonder if you can find these varieties elsewhere. Probably not. I’ve seen stuff here that I would of never of seen in Tennessee. Apples have a wonderful crisp aroma. If you know your apples then you know that each variety smells very different. You also know that the “apple” used by the fragrance industry is very fake and could never do the real deal any justice. I wish that they would better describe “apple” as well. A Granny Smith smells (and tastes) very different than a Honeycrisp. Any apple just won’t cut it. Each variety is special. Some are used for fermenting, some for cinnamony treats, some for caramel. And don’t forget the symbolism of apples. It’s often seen as a forbidden fruit because of Eve; it’s a symbol of temptation. On the other hand…paired with honey, it symbolizes a sweet New Year during Rosh Hashanah. I’ve compiled a “collage” of fragrances containing apple. Many of these listed are fruity-florals, a bit young, fresh, flirty. I still haven’t found my favorite apple scent. I want something appropriate for fall. I want something mixed with moss, leaves, late figs, dried dates and honey…something that smells like Rosh Hashanah.

Budget Apple Scents: Avon Wish of Luck is a lighter green apple and floral blend that reminds me of DKNY Be Delicious but cheaper. The 1.7 fl.oz. EDT retails for $16.50. A fruity floral that is nice for summer is Voluspa Victoria Collection Green Datura Roll-On that retails for $24. It is a blend of tart fruits, including apple, and freesia. TokyoMilk Parfum has I Want Candywhich is a sweet blend of peach, apple, violet, and rose. It’s sweet and flirty but romantic because of the rose. It retails for $28. L’Aromarine has a “true” apple, Pomme, perfume extract oil that retails for $9.50. It is a sour apple bomb and I have a review here. Aeropostale Promise Me is a flirty scent with apple, white tea, and gardenia. The 1.7 fl.oz. goes for $19.50. Body Fantasies has a body spray (don’t expect long wear) in Apple Fantasy. This is a fruity musky apple based scent that retails for $6.99 and makes a nice linen spray. Victoria’s Secret Garden has Secret Charm which is a honeysuckle and apple fragrance. The EDT retails for $9.50.(It does remind me of a Glade scent). Demeter has a few “apple” scents and the 1 ounce spray goes for $20. There is the sweet Apple Pie, Jolly Rancher New Green Apple, Sour Apple Lollipop, and the more “authentic” Golden Delicious. Golden Delicious is one of my favorites from this list because it is more “true”.

More Expensive Apple Scents: It’s in the apple shaped bottle so it has to be apple, right?:DKNY Be Delicious is green apple and floral blend. The largest bottle retails for $70. It’s a super popular fragrance and I’m sure it has won everybody over with its crisp blend of apple, citrus, and soft woods: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. The largest bottle retails for $82. It’s one of those super popular scents that even I can appreciate and I’ve smelled so much. Nina Ricci Ninais a sweet, gourmand apple blend with vanilla, citrus, and woods. The largest bottle goes for $72. It has a tempting apple bottle that sued the Twilight fragrance out of exsistence! This is more of a rose scent but it is made flirty and fresh with hints of citrus and lots of apple: Parfums de Rosine Une Zest de Rose EDP, retails for $125. If you want a spicy, apple cider type scent, try Brandy EDT. This retails for $48. Brandy is a great fall scent. I’m guitly of overlooking it.

This is my granny’s cooking of fragrance. It is the most “comfort” fragrance that I own. It is warm, soothing, and just as cuddly as a my favorite soft cardigan. Bvlgari Omnia is a fragrance that I will always have around, just like my grandmother’s recipes. It isn’t my everyday fragrance just like honey cakes and mashed potatoes aren’t my everyday meals. I always will have this around. This is my soothing fragrance and I have been wearing it a year after its launch in 2003.

The thing that I have learned about the original Omnia is that you will love it or not. And you can “smell” it or not. Evidently on some people it fades very quickly or their sniffers are “immune” to it. Others can smell them hours later but they can’t smell themselves, so they don’t bother wearing it because perfume should make you happy first. I on the other hand, smell it. Currently, I have been wearing it for 3 hours and it smells just as strong as when I spritz it on. I also smell it on my cardigans, scarves, clothes after I wear it and when they have been sitting in the hamper for a few days. But, that being said. I know that it isn’t a “strong” fragrance to begin with. It wears pretty close in the beginning and it continues to wear closely. It is a cuddle fragrance, it’s intimate.

Omnia is simple, really. It is described as a “modern oriental”, that it is. It is a warm blend with a slightly citrus top note. But what sticks with me is the masala tea. So imagine a sweet, slightly spicy blend of masala spices (think cardamom and saffron) with hints of milky sweetness like a condensed milk. It is more of a Kashmiri Chai seasoning (with notes of almond, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, cloves) but instead of green tea, an Assam rich, black tea leaves. So in essence, it reminds me of a very Northwestern version of Chai, something that Tazo or Oregon Chai would do. Because it is Kashmiri with dark tea but sweet with a hint of white chocolate and vanilla flavored steamed milk. Now you can see why it is so comforting! It sounds very sweet and spicy, but is “sheer” and just slightly gourmand. It is more like smelling the steam from a hot cup of chai served from your favorite coffee house. (Less spicy, than those served at Indian and Pakistani restaurants).

I like the bottle, many people do not. It is plastic (cheap, I know) with warm tea colored plastic and chrome-ish accents. But, it does represent the infinity symbol and I like nerdy stuff like that. Even the name is soothing, it sounds relaxing/meditative and “omniah” is an Arabic word for “wish”.

The 1.33 ounce retails for $68 and the 2.2 ounce for $88. It is an ea de parfum and should last a long time. But, this is one that you should definitely try before forking over the dough. You may be one of the people that skin eats it. I recommend this one for those that don’t like floral fragrances, like light fragrances (Omnia is like a strange warm version of D & G Light Blue), fans of chai tea, like tea based scents and fans of comforting scents. It isn’t too foody or gourmand or sweet. It is one of my favorites. I wear it all year. It is available at fragrancenet.com.

Since a child, I’ve been trying to be as stylish as Julie Newmar a.k.a. Cat Woman. I was in love with her “home” decor on the show, her nude lips, her big hair. What a glamour gal! No wonder I own so much leopard print and false lashes.

First apply concealer where needed, such as Lancome Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer and then apply a powder foundation such as Guerlain Parure Compact Foundation in your shade, Julie would so have something in this case. Brush brows into place (unlike Cat Woman’s which were always messy and pointed up strangely), use a tinted brow gel such as Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in your shade, for brows like Julie’s try Caramel. This look is all about a heavy handed eye. Apply foundation powder to eyelid to adsorb oil and make shadow stay on longer. Apply a nude shadow from lashline to brow. I would recommend the lightest shade in Guerlain Ombre Eclat Duo & Liner in L’Heure Fumee. Blend the darker shade from the duo from lashline to crease. Blend a little bit more of the lighter shade under the brow bone to “liven” up the look. Take the dark gel liner from the compact and line eyes “cat eye” style of course. This can be applied extra thick for glamor, just for glamor sake. Apply false lashes or tons of mascara to add emphasis to the eye area. Add Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in Blonde to the apples of cheeks. This stuff is lovely and is truly a complexion perfector. Apply a nude lip liner such as Guerlain Lip Pencil in Cupidon. Guerlain has the perfect lip color for this look. Apply the amazing Guerlain Kiss Kiss Stick Gloss in Vanilla Beige to lips. This color is so Angela Jolie too. Of course tease hair and spray with hair spray, shake it and let it look a bit messy. Apply fragrance, not to be cliche but I do recommend Cartier Panthere Eau Legere or By Dolce & Gabbana to complete this feline look.